Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-06-04

For the treasury is 4 city indeed. Its
every p:tIt is honey cOmbed with industry,
aud from basement to attic il is filled with
strange characters and curious sights.
Ia this letter wish to treat OF the attic
alone 1t is away up under the root, and
II COmpoSeS two acres OF floor, upon which
the feet ct visitors rarely tread. 1t Is
lighted by little windows looking out of
the deep walls, and 1t is cut up into rooms,
hall, aud corridors, the most OF which are
packed with records and documents. All
the papers relating to the treasury depart
ment during the past 100 years are care
fully kept, and to-day As | walked through
wall after wall OF files it seemed to me that
| covered miles in going up one aisle and
down another. There were thousands OF
hank notes. millions of reports, and mil
lions Of accounts showing the laborS Of
thousands. wear after year, since the Gov
eminent was founded. AS | looked at the
ofcareiul writing could not help think
ing OF the brains and muscle represented
by them. There is enough manuscript
here. should Judge, to carpet the State
of New York, and fully half OF it is made
I'D of figures. Every line Otthesr millions
upon millions ct papers consumed Ger
tain amount OF muscle in its writing, aud
here il represented the lite works OF an
trny now dead. The Internal Eevenue
records alone comprise enough old paper
tn keen the HOlUyoke mills busy Ior weeks
and the stubs OF all the tobacco stamps
ever granted are here. OF the letters re-
rrived and those sent by the different
commissioners. the records of all the de
p9rtment throughout its history are Here
property lndexcd and laid away.
The files OF the secretary proper have Il
hall To themselves large enough almost for
a baseball ground, and the walls or files IN
this hall contain li,uOO file boxes. Two
walls of files contain the certificates of dc
posts of all the national banks OF the
country, also the important papers which
make the assistant trCaSurerS OF the Onlted
States responsible for the millions of
money which they receive. Here met 4
little old man, who told me he had been i'll
the treasury department over fifty years,
and As | looked ON him | thought he WAS 4
III accompaniment To the old, yellow,
mustv records hr was guarding. He sat II
little Square table between two walls Of
napcrS running up to the ceiling. His
eyes were small aud sharp, his hair iron
gray. and slightly bald ut the top. It's
coat was a little worn, n, indeed, was
eycrythin. about him. He pointed to the
two walls of paper which make mp the mar,
row room where he lives away his life, and
said:
=.
Those papers represent billions OF dol
lars. In those two walls are the certificates
Of deposit OF nearly all the money the
treasury owns There is a single paper IN
that box over there which represents
81, 0OO, 900. 1t belongs to bank IN New
York. oh, my boy there is millions IN
IT, ba, har" And he laughed a dry parch-
ment laugh rs he made his little Joke.
80 You have been in the treasury
long time?' sIit !.
yes" replied he, 81 came in with An
drew Jackson rs messenger, and | nave
heen here ever since. These fifty years l
have grown gray in the treasury service
and now they talk Of examining me to see
whether | am lit to be here. Inc otner
clerks are studying geography and arith-